Big deal. That name means nothing just like the University of Phoenix, or University of Houston. At least with "Missouri" in the name there is some instant credibility in the nation. Re-branding is just like starting over.

Except no one knows that "Missouri" is part of the name.

You mean the school, not the state..right?

Absolute no brainer. Ive written several letters to professors, chancellors, and deans (basically anyone that will listen) over the last few years and even had Kansas City University t-shirts made. So basically today is like Christmas morning for this crusader.

From a PR standpoint there is simply no other way to have a more cost effective re-branding of our university. UMKC has some very top-tier programs in a beautiful urban setting with decades of history and tradition and no once can tell me that the name doesn't hold them back.

They should go for it just to establish a separate identity. It's just a name change but the UMKC name does imply second tier from Mizzou.

definitely. from a "branding" perspective, i think it's pretty obvious that SMSU is better off as Missouri State, and Northeast Missouri State is better off as Truman State. similarly, University of Missouri-Kansas City sounds bush league compared to Kansas City University or University of Kansas City. i dont know whether the other MO schools' name changes have caused any measurable benefit in terms of rankings, academic achievement, athletics, donations, etc., but it still sounds better. put another way, it cannot possibly hurt.

It wasn't that long ago when Memphis was Memphis State of Charlotte was NC-Charlotte. Personally, I think getting rid of the references to a state university system elevates the school in my mind. If others didn't feel the same, why doesn't Mizzou refer to itself as University of Missouri - Columbia more often?

I am somewhat concerned that the name change will only cause people to confuse it with Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences.

http://www.kcumb.edu/

That school is tiny and they keep changing their name. I can never remember what they are calling it now.

I wonder how many people in KC metro have heard of KCUMB?

My estimate is <.01 % have heard of KCUMB.

For those that think they should keep the name UMKC, what do you think about when you hear the school name UMBC? This is the school that UMKC gets confused for a lot. Do you think "oh, they're part of the University of Maryland system, so it must be a pretty decent school!" Or do you think "those are a bunch of letters that mean nothing to me. Where is this school again? Michigan?"

Its the University of Maryland-Baltimore County.

The flagship University of Maryland is also officially called the "University of Maryland, College Park", just like Mizzou used to be the "University of Missouri, Columbia". Fans of Maryland's sports rivals derisively refer to Maryland as "UMCP", apparently tapping into the sentiment that state schools whose names include a locality are podunk regional schools. ...

Who really cares except for those in Maryland.

What does one hope to acomplish with a name change? Calling it University of Kansas City doesn't really give it an identity. For many on the coasts they will think it is in Kansas instead of Missouri.

If you want to change the identity of UMKC then do one of two things.
One: Spend some bucks and review your programs. Get rid of the marginal ones (maybe the lower 25 to 40%) and then spend more bucks upgrading the remainder. Take a gamble on what fields of study will be important for the next 20 to 30 years and spend more bucks developing top notch programs in two or three of those areas.
Two: Spend some bucks and upgrade the sports programs. Add football and try to move to a bigger name conference.

Just changing the name is just like putting a coat of cheap paint on a rundown house without really fixing what is wrong on the inside.

Of course you could change the mascot.

Locally, it's nicknamed, You must be crazy.

That's probably a good thing.

So? That is only annoying to people in and from the area. If people think of the name at all on the coasts it will be a miracle. As things stand now, people have to do quite a bit of research to recognize the name UMKC. And yes, the UKC does give it a new identity, as KC's university rather than a regional outpost of a university system.

As for the plan to prosperity, steps one and two both involve a ton of money. That money does not flow to a school if it is perceived to be second rate. Last time I checked, UMKC has been trying to get money from people for their entire existence. The only way to extract more is to upgrade the perception of the school and its various programs. Adding football and getting into a better conference is a multi-year if not decades long process. Better conferences won't pick up a school with little sports history and a fledgling football program unless there is serious momentum behind it. UMKC has been doing great things and can be proud of some fantastic programs, but not unlike the Wizards playing in a minor league baseball stadium, they have a problem with the perception as a minor league school. It's hard to say whether or not the Wizards would have drawn the same crowds last year as did Sporting (in my mind, there is no way), but the name change was more a signal of desire and commitment to change than it was a maneuver to generate some temporary excitement. That is the same signal that UMKC>UKC would send to me.

Adding football makes no sense to me. There are lots of decent name schools with no football programs. Football is only a moneymaker for big time programs. Its a big loss for other programs. Get a decent hoops program and that will do more for you than having an also-ran in football.

UMKC is currently ranked 181 by US News and World Reports.

That is only 38 spots below K-State which ranks 143.

The question is with a medical school, law school, dental school, solid business school, good arts program, should the ranking be higher?

With a little better marketing maybe the University of Kansas City could catch the lowest ranked Big 12 school, West Virgina, at 164.

http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandrevie ... ata/page+8

Clicking on UMKC on the list provides some more information including the following:

"The university developed the unique team name in the 1930s, when community excitement about the Kansas City Zoo’s purchase of two baby kangaroos grew, and when Walt Disney himself drew a cartoon of the Kasey Kangaroo mascot. Although he never graduated, former President Harry Truman attended the UMKC law school for two years and later received the school’s first honorary degree. Today, he is the namesake of the university’s Harry S Truman Center for Governmental Affairs."

I didn't know Truman attended the Law School and I didn't know the history of the mascot name or that Walt Disney did the first drawings over 80 years ago. The Star apparently does a pretty lame job of covering UMKC history. Maybe if they take University of Missouri out of the name, the Star's coverage of the University will be more favorable.

Supreme Court Justice Charles Whittaker also attended UMKC Law.

Ha. Of all things, his wiki page says that it was then known as the Kansas City School of Law. Nearly full circle.